<Dreams> "So, yes, to make a long story short, I had to stop her from killing Death herself, and then she dumped us all into the underworld. So I'm afraid she has to be taken away for a while until she can be well again."

Dreams explains things to Dan.

Dreams notices Dan isn't here IC, gets confused momentarily.

<Hollyhock God> And Dreams and Immanuel were cast into the deepest pits of the netherworld.

<Hollyhock God> And Dreams brought back his secret love child from the lands of death.

<Dreams> Where we brought back souvenirs!

<Hollyhock God> He'll try to tell you it's just a kid he found somewhere, but don't listen.

<Dreams> I'm not the one who named him.

<Miranda> Sure you were, D-train.

<Immanuel> His name is D-train.

<Immanuel> No, the orphan.

<Immanuel> Dreams is still Dreams.

<Miranda> He's named after his dad.

<Immanuel> Alternatively, D to the O.

<Hollyhock God> That name is not pretentious enough and I refuse to recognize it.

Hollyhock God pointedly neglects to add the child to the NPCs list!

<Immanuel> He's the secret lovechild of Ms. Haversham and Pip.

<Miranda> Really? I just assumed he was some blasphemous elder-god they'd let out of the pit.

<Immanuel> Who became an orphan and was taught to steal by Fagin after asking for more gruel.

<Hollyhock God> That would actually be way less drama.

<Immanuel> He's also secretly Cosette from Les Mis.

<Immanuel> Wait!

<Immanuel> He's the Power of Orphans!

<Immanuel> Who had obviously been abandoned.

<Hollyhock God> Anyway, they managed to claw their way out of the netherworld, along with hangers-on, and emerged in Indonesia.

<Hollyhock God> Rushing back to the Chancel, they found Miranda absent.

<Immanuel> Power. Of. Orphans!

<Dreams> There! Who needs you to add NPCs to the wiki?

<Dreams> "Dan. Long time no see."

Dreams explains!

<Dan_Shields> "Hullo, Dreams. I hear you've been expanding your family as well."

Hollyhock God locks the wiki for eternity with the Hollyhock seal.

<Dreams> "Say what? No, no, Will and I aren't anywhere near that serious."

Hollyhock God begins editing Dreams' character sheet.

<Dreams> It was all a dream.

<Dan_Shields> Doesn't that make it count, for you at least?

<Dreams> Not really. I can't be killed in dreams any more than anybody else. Although that would have been a cool Affliction, yes.

<Hollyhock God> Declaring edits to your character sheet to be a dream is an act of hubris.

<Hollyhock God> Your stats are now possessed by an Actual.

<Miranda> (So you have a few Actuals to deal with. No sweat.)

<Dan_Shields> I thought you had a kid, not that you died.

<Miranda> (Technically, you just have a Wound: Resisting possession by an Actual. Small price to pay for Domain 12.)

Immanuel claims the Power of Orphans.

<Dreams> "What? Oh, no, the kid is Immanuel's, at the moment. I had thought somebody who actually needs being taken care of might help give Miranda some focus, but he's taken a surprising shine to little D-train."

Dan_Shields has Graham's Number as his Persona trait.

<Dan_Shields> "Is he half-dragon, or does this predate that?"

<Dreams> "He's adopted."

<Dreams> "This may not preclude him from assuming draconic traits, however. I imagine Immanuel will try to find a way."

<Immanuel> So why is Dan Shields now?

<Dan_Shields> I'm not

Dan_Shields is now known as Dan

<Dreams> "You know, I had been wondering, but I didn't want to ask. Perhaps he found Miranda and ate her… oh, I'm just imagining things again."

<Immanuel> "I have neither the time nor the inclination to draconify everyone. This indicates a serious lapse in understanding of my intentions that I find troubling."

<Immanuel> "As such I am going to go play Dragon Rock Band. Come on, D to the O."

<Dreams> "We still have to deal with Miranda."

<Hollyhock God> So, now that two of us are on message, where's Miranda, anyway?

<Miranda> (Civil War: I'm with Miranda?)

<Hollyhock God> I see Miranda as the character from Wakfu now.

<Miranda> That's a good question. Do you have a better option for getting at Remus' copy of the book than knocking?

<Hollyhock God> KABROOOOOOOOOOOOK!

<Dan> Kabrook?

<Miranda> (Wakfu? No! Do not patronize our competition!)

<Dreams> Didn't someone steal his copy of the book and give it to you?

<Hollyhock God> In other news, everybody should go and watch Wafku. But not right now.

<Immanuel> You mean Wakfu, don't you?

<Hollyhock God> If necessary you can watch the show and not play the game so as to please Mr. Damiani.

<Hollyhock God> Do not fear, Mr. Damiani! I did not give them my money! I used the devil torrents!

<Miranda> …acceptable.

<Miranda> Moving on.

<Hollyhock God> Although if they actually sold DVDs in this country it might be different. But whatever.

<Hollyhock God> Where is Miranda and what's she up to?

<Immanuel> What competition?!?

Immanuel is so confused.

<Dan> I'm confused both in and out of character.

<Miranda> Well, my thinking was that it would be entertaining to get the original copy of the diary from Remus.

<Miranda> On the assumption that unnamed supernatural entities who mail you mysterious books are Obviously Playing You.

<Hollyhock God> Mr. Damiani is the employee of a company that makes free-to-play MMOs.

<Immanuel> Which one?

<Dan> (Ahh.)

<Hollyhock God> Well, how are you going to get it?

<Dan> (I'd say that applies to Jenna and Nobilis, but she's not Unnamed. >_> )

<Miranda> (Or supernatural.)

<Immanuel> Which one?!?

<Miranda> (Champions Online.)

<Dan> (She's totally supernatural.)

<Immanuel> (She's actually Lady Entropy.)

<Miranda> Right. So: Anyhow. I'm thinking about knocking on his door.

<Immanuel> (Nobilis is an attempt to Excruciate RPGs.)

<Miranda> (Yes, but that's mostly Genseric's doing.)

<Hollyhock God> I'm pretty sure WTF was the attempt to do that.

<Hollyhock God> With Miranda, to think is surely to act!

<Miranda> (Werewolf: the Forsaken wasn't that bad.)

<Dan> Wisher, Theurgist, Fatalist.

<Miranda> Well, it could be to act, if you think it would be ammusing.

<Dan> (I think.)

<Hollyhock God> Mind you, all the forces of Creation are out for your head.

Immanuel quietly eats flan while watching Miranda beat expy Scrooge McDuck to death with his own book.

<Miranda> Yes.

<Miranda> That's why this is going to work.

Miranda knocks.

<Hollyhock God> The door is answered by the perfect butler. "Good evening, madam."

<Hollyhock God> You find yourself ushered into Remus' study.

<Miranda> "Good evening, Remus."

<Dan> (Are they out for all of our heads, or just Miranda's?)

<Hollyhock God> The man himself is propped up in an armchair with a book of short stories. "Ah, Miranda. I've been hearing about you very recently."

<Miranda> "I'm sure you have. And I imagine you know why I've come?"

<Dreams> (Just Miranda's.)

<Dreams> (So far.)

<Hollyhock God> "I think you must be rather desperate. What on earth have you done to make Ananda call for your execution?"

<Miranda> "You don't know?"

<Miranda> "Ironic, given that you've done it too…"

<Hollyhock God> Remus raises an eyebrow.

<Miranda> "The book, Remus."

<Miranda> "He doesn't want anyone to know what it contains."

<Miranda> "I've come to compare my copy against the original."

<Hollyhock God> "Where on earth did you get a copy? And what makes Ananda fear it so much? I thought it was dangerous, but not that dangerous."

<Hollyhock God> Remus leaps to his feet and taps his stick against a shelf, which swings open to reveal a vault, which he dials a combination into.

<Dreams> (Oh snap, it was fake. Miranda's not entirely paranoid after all! Or maybe that journal is just a Myst-style trapping book.)

<Miranda> Miranda shrugs. "I don't know why he fears it. I do know that Marley was willing to try to kill me, and Excruciate my Estate, just because I know it. Which means I'm going to have a chat with the Lord of The Infinite Murder-City fairly shortly."

<Hollyhock God> "Possibly a very short chat."

<Dan> (Crisis on Infinite Murder-Cities!)

<Hollyhock God> You set the two books down side-by-side and begin comparison.

<Hollyhock God> The text appears to be… completely identical.

<Miranda> Miranda shrugs. "Depends on how hard he struggles."

<Miranda> Yeah, but that's no fun.

<Miranda> No mysterious series of dots in the margin, possibly a code?

<Miranda> No weird annotations?

<Dreams> (Three of the nine illustrations are different in subtle but key ways?)

<Miranda> No "There may be subtle differences but I haven't planned how to make this awesome yet so ask me next week"?

<Dreams> (Wait, no, it'd be six.)

<Hollyhock God> Nope. They're the same.

<Miranda> (Dude, this is Nobilis. Calling up the Devil is easy.)

<Miranda> (On which topic… get out your phone.)

<Miranda> Really?

<Miranda> Aww.

<Miranda> Well.

<Miranda> This scene had no point, then.

<Miranda> Nevermind.

<Hollyhock God> You can bug Remus for getting you interested in a book that's a death sentence!

<Miranda> …?

<Immanuel> I don't trust this Remus guy.

<Immanuel> What do we know about him, really?

<Miranda> Now, I have to figure out how to kill Ananda.

<Dreams> Didn't he have a rivalry with one of us? I can't remember which, though. Maybe it was Dan?

<Hollyhock God> Thus preventing the Fourth Age That Is To Come from coming?

<Hollyhock God> How Miranda Stole The Fourth Age?

Dreams sits around playing Scrabble with Dan until a lead on Miranda presents itself.

<Dreams> (How Miranda murdered the future.)

<Hollyhock God> I suppose you could also wonder who sent you the book in the first place. Mysterious!

<Miranda> No. Because this is what you do when you're a hardboiled cop and some high-powered fat-cat with the connections decides you've seen too much and need to be rubbed out.

Dreams plays a few weird runic pieces that definitely aren't part of the Roman alphabet.

Dan starts spelling out programming subroutines.

<Dan> "'fstrcat' is a perfectly valid Scrabble word."

<Miranda> Come back to me. Right now, the books being the same killed my immediate plot lead.

<Dan> (Though it's a function, not a subroutine, if the point matters.)

<Dreams> "You accepted z͂ͤ̆́ͨ͗͏̜͝a̧̧̫̖̰̦͇͓͚̼ͦ̎̀ͥͪ͡ͅl̟̪̣̫̟̄̿̓ͪ͜g̵̢̺̯̊̒͋o̘͕̘͆ͩ͗̀, who am I to complain?"

<Hollyhock God> Hm, what miracle level are you using for Scrabbles, then?

Dreams is mostly relying on his 'things become strange around me' Affliction to do the miracle work, here.

<Immanuel> That would be an amusing intro game.

<Immanuel> (You're all playing Scrabble. Explain how you cheat to win using your miracles.)

<Dreams> "Well, we can't really complete the rite without the Heart of Cneph, now, can we?"

<Dreams> (There was an A-plot?)

<Hollyhock God> The rest of the party has literally gone home and started playing Scrabble.

<Dan> (Didn't we have that? When did we lose it?)

<Hollyhock God> That's how much they don't care about the A-plot. :)

<Immanuel> Technically, we were already home.

<Hollyhock God> I'm sure Miranda keeps all that stuff on her person.

<Dreams> (I assumed Miranda took it when she wanted to do the ritual.)

Dreams checks to make sure it is, in fact, missing!

<Dan> So looks like we're finding Miranda one way or another.

Dan gets out his REAL PHYSICAL COPY OF THE RULES to look up the Treasure miracle he wants to use. >_>

<Hollyhock God> It is, in fact, missing.

<Hollyhock God> This campaign could really use a family-wide B-plot.

Immanuel checks out his physical copy of the rule just to not be upstaged.

<Hollyhock God> Maybe we should try and get Immanuel married off.

<Miranda> Or he could turn into a dragon.

<Immanuel> We tried that; you said Light hated me.

<Immanuel> When it was obviously mutual. Obviously.

<Hollyhock God> Immanuel turning into a dragon turned out to be a total non-event. Because it hasn't changed his daily routine at all.

<Hollyhock God> He hasn't even given up Guitar Hero.

<Dreams> Miranda is a signatory of the Accords, yes? I'll see if the Accords can't help me out here by locating her. Or… somebody she's entering into an agreement with, perhaps? That seems on-topicish, yeah?

<Immanuel> I blame Acceptance.

<Immanuel> I mean, if I had Discontent in my stomach…

<Hollyhock God> …you can try!

<Immanuel> Yeah.

Immanuel sighs.

<Dreams> Or we could go back to playing Scrabble.

<Immanuel> If Miranda would just light herself on fire we'd be in business.

<Hollyhock God> I mean, you can try to use the Accords, but you're going to need to tell me how.

<Hollyhock God> Like, is that weaponization or what?

<Dreams> Nah, invoking its magical properties as a sanctifier of all agreements between signatories.

Dan will try this weaving Destiny thing again. My computer locates Miranda for me. Which I will invoke at level 7 because it's the same price regardless. >_>

<Dreams> (Oooh, that's a good idea.)

<Hollyhock God> Ping! Google Maps finds her at Remus' place.

Immanuel wonders if this is the best time to discuss switching the family plan to another carrier.

<Miranda> Uh.

<Dreams> (No.)

<Dan> To Remus' place!

<Miranda> You do mean "Miranda takes the Wound: Taking efforts to actively shield her location from would-be observers", right?

<Immanuel> (We should start a company that provides transdimensional coverage. You know how much that costs with AT&T?)

<Hollyhock God> Surely you won't take a Wound if it's your family looking, would you?

<Miranda> Dreams is not my family.

<Dreams> Dreams isn't the one looking!

<Dreams> Well, technically he is, but that was a Dan-effect.

<Dreams> He wasn't even there for the whole intervention.

<Miranda> I'm not clear that I can be selective about that, when it's retroactive?

<Miranda> I kinda just assumed it would be necessary, 'cause: Ananda.

<Miranda> But OK. If that's the most entertaining thing to have happen.

<Hollyhock God> I don't see why not! It's up to the player whether to take a Wound or not, so you're allowed to be selective.

<Miranda> … because you don't get that information.

<Dreams> Okay, fine. We fail to find Miranda, and the rest of the PCs keep playing Scrabble until plot happens.

<Hollyhock God> I mean, why would the mechanic force you to pretend not to know stuff you do know?

<Miranda> Because you don't know stuff. This mechanic covers people trying to break into your room and rifle through your letters, and the things you've done retroactively to stop that from happening.

<Dan> It's like Exalted combat transparency. Your character may not see the difference between a regular punch and a poisoned punch, but the player does.

<Miranda> You don't know that it's just someone well-intentioned.

<Hollyhock God> You do if it happens in play.

<Dreams>ANYWAY.

<Miranda> See where I said no gain in arguing?

<Dreams> "Dan, you go first, she might not be happy to see me."

<Hollyhock God> Hey, arguing always works for me! ;)

<Dreams> "Given that she tried to kill me and all."

<Hollyhock God> Dreams hides behind Dan.

<Miranda> I did not!

<Hollyhock God> Which is kind of funny, given that Immanuel is right there and much larger.

<Miranda> I specifically checked to make sure you could navigate your way back.

<Immanuel> "I'll go first."

Immanuel does so.

<Dreams> So you killed me on the assumption that I would probably get better.

<Miranda> I didn't kill you; I plunged you into an Otherrealm.

<Dan> "Miranda, you've got to finish that ritual you started."

<Dreams> Yes. The otherrealm which is where people go when they die.

<Immanuel> Yeah, the Otherrealm of death!

<Miranda> That happened to be beyond death, but come on, it took you like fifteen minutes to get out.

<Hollyhock God> Three hours!

<Dreams> It was a harrowing journey beyond time and space!

<Miranda>YOU weren't dead though. That's metaphysically important.

<Hollyhock God> And I was going to have it be a lot longer than that, but somebody spent all that time she bought herself lollygagging and drinking Remus' Chateau Mouton Rouge.

<Dreams> Anyway, we've shown up and Dan's made his announcement; how does Miranda react?

<Miranda> Honestly, I just expected you to wake up Marley and have her whisk you out. What kind of dream-god can't interface with the unconscious?

Hollyhock God hopes that's the name of a wine.

<Dreams> (Subconscious I can do. Completely unconscious is a different Estate.)

Miranda thought she left, but wasn't going to waste time bickering over it.

<Miranda> (Say it with me now: Lesser Creation of Dreams.)

<Dreams> (Domain 0.)

<Miranda> "Dan, I haven't started the ritual yet. Mostly because I'm pretty clear I'm being played.

<Miranda> "Now, has Dream enlisted you on his mad crusade yet?"

<Hollyhock God> That's no excuse… oh, wait, other people have to spend MP to do miracles because their copies of the book aren't as cool as mine.

Miranda has copy 333/333

<Dan> Nice.

<Dan> Just squeaked in there. XD

<Dreams>"My crusade isn't one that has everyone in Creation trying to kill me!"

<Immanuel> 241.

<Dan> 23

<Hollyhock God> 149.

<Immanuel> Mine's better. Why? Because it is.

<Dan> "Played by what?"

<Dan> Or who.

<Miranda> "You're randomly assaulting me, betraying the family, saving Death, and otherwise adding complications that do not need to be added right now!"

<Dreams> "You know, if you would actually just do the ritual, all of these complications would be moot. But oh, big surprise. Miranda has everything she needs to actually go through with her plan, but has found another reason not to."

<Immanuel> "So anyway…"

Miranda turns back to Dan. "I don't know. I was hoping you could bridge the connection between this book and whoever sent it to me."

<Immanuel> "We got this mystical Scrabble message saying you would die if we didn't complete the rite."

<Miranda> "Go to hell, Dreams. Again."

<Immanuel> "Not to, you know, interrupt the arguing or anything."

Miranda gestures smugly to Immanuel.

<Miranda> "See? Caution rewarded."

<Dreams> "No. In this case, caution is what will get you killed. That's fairly clear."

<Hollyhock God> Miranda feels a tingling in her shields as unfriendly people try to locate her. Is that Joktan? It feels like Joktan.

<Miranda> "I'm not talking to you any more, Dreams. You're a traitor, and if I didn't need you in one piece, you'd be wholly dead to me."

<Miranda> Why would Joktan care what Ananda wants?

<Miranda> Presumably, taking the not-locating Wound.

<Dan> "I know we're all supposed to be family, and familial bickering is such a fundamental part of reality that it's probably got it's own Imperator, let alone a Noble, can the two of you both act like adults for a bit?"

<Hollyhock God> Well, it's Lord Entropy who runs the Wild Hunt and is generally in charge of hunting people down and having them executed.

<Dreams> Mmm, one would automatically appear, as an automatic miracle, wouldn't it? I mean, it's how we got here.

<Dan> I thought.

<Hollyhock God> To clarify, are we actually going to insist on miracle babies appearing to solve this argument?

<Hollyhock God> Because I guess that's a thing that can happen if it needs to.

<Miranda> Mostly, I just thought North of Heaven was an appropriate place to bring back an angel.

<Dan> (Well, regardless I want to anchor my miracle babies now while I'm thinking about it >_> )

<Hollyhock God> Let us consider them Anchored retroactively.

<Immanuel> Too bad, I was gonna Anchor them just now to spite you.

<Dan> I thought fire didn't care!

<Immanuel> Of course fire cares. Who told you that?

<Dan> The core book. >_>

<Immanuel> Well this care burns with a passionate intensity.

<Hollyhock God> Are we going east of the sun or what?

<Immanuel> Magic us up a bridge, oh Danny boy.

<Dan> (Do I need to greater for this one or can I Lesser-hop us up there?)

<Hollyhock God> That sounds Greater-ish.

<Miranda> (Doesn't matter. Just take us somewhere.)

<Hollyhock God> Aren't all your bridges Greater? They've gone to some outlandish places, so I assumed they were.

<Immanuel> Yeah, this is a major plot point, don't be stingy.

<Miranda> If you have, perhaps, somewhere more apt?

<Hollyhock God> Well, you need a soft spot in reality.

<Immanuel> We could take to the gates of Heaven where the angel was slain, making the start of the Valde Bellum…

<Immanuel> I'm not sure if that's redemptive or blasphemous or both.

<Dan> (I will totally take a Wound and burn like, all of my MP for a Word of Command, as I think this should culminate a plot arc.)

<Dreams> (If not the game itself.)

<Miranda> Or we could just find a random place and let Dream make it squishy.

<Dreams> Well, will Miranda actually ask Dreams for that?

Dan reaches deep within his heart and builds a bridge between here and the sky above Heaven out of his very substance.

<Dan> Too late, my scene now.

<Immanuel> That's kind of boring, don'tcha think?

<Miranda> "Don't look down."

Immanuel rolls his eyes at the groundlings.

<Hollyhock God> So, what Wound are you going to take to make that happen?

<Dreams> I'm not sure Dreams would bother coming. The point for him isn't raising Praxael, it's helping Miranda, and it's pretty clear to him that, while she may not be beyond all help, she's definitely not going to accept his.

<Dan> "Missing part of my Nobility since it went into building a conking huge bridge."

<Dreams> (Nice.)

<Dan> (Though really, I could rewrite my Gift to be " a handful of tricks" rather than "full flexibility" since I've mostly only used it for travel, and that would bump it from lesser to greater)

<Hollyhock God> That seems reasonable.

<Dan> (To the wound, or rewriting my Gift, or both? (I'm fine with taking the Wound and rewriting it)

<Hollyhock God> Sure, both.

<Hollyhock God> So, you stand in the sky above Heaven, looking down on the source of all beauty in the world.

<Hollyhock God> Except for Dreams, who is playing Scrabble back at home.

<Miranda> And, presumably, below that, the Ash.

<Hollyhock God> No, the Ash isn't playing scrabble.

<Miranda> Miranda looks down at heaven and up at the stars "…and above us, only sky," she says in a fit of Lennonistic whimsy, spreading the three books out in a triangle as she takes a seat on the bridge.

<Dan> (Since this will bump me all the way into Greater Motion, I'm going to say that this bridge is now part of all0 of my Familia. If they want to gaze upon all the beauty in the world, they will always be able to get back here.)